Well it’s the end of Semester 1 already. So let us wish you all the very best (and rest) for the Christmas vacation. Do take time to rest up and recharge your batteries as Semester 2 will go as quickly.
In this newsletter:
- Student Achievements
- IT Services Update
- New spam security checking
- Student Achievements
- Christmas Jumper Challenge
- Galenicals Carol Concert
- Reflections on a Career in General Practice
Student Achievements
We would like to formally recognise and commend the actions of four medical students. Christopher Smith, Joseph Allwood, William McPartland (5th years) and Isabel Keller (4th year). Early on December 9th a 48-year old man collapsed and had a cardiac arrest outside their house. Between them, they performed CPR and the man regained consciousness. Without their quick thinking and actions, this man might not have survived to hospital. They are a credit to our medical school. Well done to them for taking such effective action.
Graduates go from strength to strength
Recently, the professional qualification examination in Obstetrics and Gynaecology was held in London. This is the Part 2 MRCOG examination. I am delighted to be able to say that the following Bristol graduates were successful in the examination:
Sarah Barker, Kirsty Cleverley, Aine Dempsey, Rebecca Lovell, Victoria Medland (who was a teaching fellow last year in St Michael’s Hospital) and Anneka Taithongchai.
Our congratulations go all these past students of the University; it’s very exciting to see people progress in their careers following graduation.
IT Services Update
24hr IT helpline available over Christmas
Over the holidays the IT helpline will be available 24/7 to deal with any IT queries or reports of problems with services.
To contact the out-of-hours service simply call the usual IT Service Desk number 0117 928 7870 (internal 87870).
The service can deal with a range of general IT queries over the phone. Where the service is currently unable to resolve your query, a ticket will be raised and passed back to the IT Service Desk for investigation during normal opening hours.
New spam security checking on bristol.ac.uk and my.bristol.ac.uk emails
From 16 December IT Services, as well as checking email coming in from outside the University, will also be checking emails sent from within the University i.e. from and to @bristol.ac.uk and @my.bristol.ac.uk addresses. This follows a review of the existing security controls in place in light of a recent increase in fraudulent emails (often referred to as ‘phishing emails’) received by staff and students. For more information and advice regarding this change please see the news item.
Christmas Jumper Challenge!
On a cold and damp December lunchtime, a host of university staff and students assembled in the new paved area behind Engineering, to try to beat the Guinness Book of Records for the largest number of people wearing Christmas jumpers at any one time. This was to raise funds for Above and Beyond and was organised by several of our medical students. Early on – not many people
Lots more now – but not enough sadly – but so very close.
Well maybe next year. Get knitting your jumpers now
Galenicals Carol Concert
On Saturday evening, December 12th, the audience gathered in St Paul’s church on St Paul’s Road was treated to a traditional and excellent Carol Concert. There were several outstanding orchestral pieces, lots of opportunity for congregational singing, well delivered choral singing and some impassioned and moving solos by Ashleigh Milner, Ashley Magero and Grace Mupanemunda.
Thank you to Eliane Blows (year 4) who proved a very able organiser of the event, and who also ran around and dispensed mulled wine on the night. The singing was great and the sopranos in their descants soared up to the roof of the church with inspiring clarity and beauty – it was another occasion to make me very proud of our students.
Reflections on a Career in General Practice from a GP Teacher
Three Things I wish I’d know about general practice as a medical student
As someone who didn’t choose general practice as an initial career choice, partly because of my perceptions of it as an undergraduate, here are a few things I wish I’d known about general practice as a student.
- General practitioners see a lot of pathology
As a student, I had the impression that GP was all about people being tired all the time or coming in with coughs and colds. What amazed me when I started working in general practice was the amount of pathology we see. On my first day as a registrar doing my own surgery, I saw a 3 year old girl with a new presentation of type 1 diabetes and a 75 year old woman who came in with ‘bloating’ and had a 7cm abdominal aortic aneurysm!
- Variety is the spice of life
I feel incredibly lucky to have such a varied working day. Students or junior doctors who come to sit in on surgeries are often amazed at the variety of cases we see in a session. From newborns through to palliative care my daily work shows that we really do still offer ‘cradle to grave’ care. Furthermore, the flexibility of the career allows the development of specialist interests. I do endoscopy and have colleagues who run urology clinics, paediatric clinics or work in A&E.
- General practice is not lonely
As a student, I found going on general practice placements a lonely experience away from friends and assumed that a career in general practice would feel the same. Far from it! Most practices meet regularly for coffee, have regular social events and the fact that you’re in a practice for a long period of time (a year as a GP registrar) you develop really meaningful friendships with the practice staff, and sometimes your patients.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Finally
Do you have something to share? Send susan.pettinger-moores@bristol.ac.uk